SOMETHING BIG IS GETTING EVEN CLOSER.. NOT TOO LONG TO GO
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A Torah publication that enables local Rabbonim and Avreichim to share their insights and Divrei Torah on a variety of different levels, to provide something for everyone
29 July 2017
DEVARIM 1:1–3:22 //
ו' אב תשע"ז
שבת חזון// פרשת דברים
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K I N D LY S P O N S O R E D
לעילוי נשמת הש"ץ שלמה בן אברהם משה ז"ל לעילוי נשמת חנה בת אלעזר ע"ה
Chazan Michael Simon Author of Likutei Mimini Michoel, weekly email on the Parshah and Mo’adim
Although there remains a modicum of speculation about the strict accuracy of this account, it seems to me insufficient to impair its usefulness as an introduction to this d’var Torah. The three haftoros that we read during the drei vochen are generally referred to as gimmel de’pur’onuso – which we translate as the three haftoros of calamity (or one of its synonyms). Lehavdil elef havdolos (and only lefi aniyas da’ati) this may represent a lost marketing opportunity. Rav Tzodok HaKohen miLublin explains that each haftorah corresponds to one aspect of our conduct that requires rectification. The first begins with divrei Yirmiyohu – the words of Yirmiyoh and correlates to the power of speech, reminding us that we must refrain from speaking in any way that is ossur, whether it be the obvious categories of loshon hora or even more generally using language that is not befitting for a G-d-fearing person. [Many commentators observe how people, who are so exacting about that which they put into their mouths, are often somewhat less meticulous about that which emanates from this very same aperture.] The second haftorah is taken from the opening pesukim of chapter two of Yirmiyoh, shimu d’var Hashem – hear the word of Hashem. This corresponds with our sense of hearing, emphasising how we must utilise this faculty only in ways that are proper and, when necessary, actively to close our ears to those matters to which we should not listen. The third and final haftorah, which we read today, is that of chazon Yishayohu, the vision of the prophet Yishiyoh, alluding to
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Parshah
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our power of sight. This is not limited to avoiding things at which it would be improper to look, but equally it underlines the importance of our developing an ayin tovah, the ability to view others and their actions in a favourable way. The first two human powers, drawn from the previous haftoros, are again referenced in this week’s haftorah. The second possuk states, shimu shomayim vehazini eretz, ki Hashem dibeir – Hear, O heavens and give ear O earth, for Hashem has spoken. This accentuates the centrality of our capacity for speech, hearing and vision within the physiological formula that will effect the rebuilding of the Beis haMikdosh. There is another nexus between the message of the haftoros and the period when they are read. Unlike the position during the Omer, when the restrictions which we variously observe are of equal measure, the Three Weeks involve a progression in the intensity of our mourning. The first tranche leads up to Rosh Chodesh Av. From Rosh Chodesh Av our mourning increases through the Nine Days. Finally, the shevu’o she’chol bo is the most stringent of all. This progression appears to be reflected in the haftoros. Of the three faculties – speech, hearing and sight – it is speech over which we have the greatest personal control. It is by no means easy, but we can train ourselves to limit dialogue to that which is both permitted and necessary. Hearing follows next, because, whilst we may have less direct influence initially on what enters our ears, we do generally have the capacity to extricate ourselves from situations where inappropriate or even forbidden words are being spoken. Finally, the very essence of our power of vision is that it is constantly bombarded with images and discriminating between proper and improper ones requires much greater personal effort. The Gemoro in Maseches Mo’ed Koton [22b] employs the word pur’onuso in the sense of repayment (peiro’on in loshon hakodesh). Perhaps it is time that we adopted this translation and repaid Hashem’s great chessed in destroying only His Sanctuary and not His People, by rectifying our use of these three senses and utilising them only for the purposes He intended. Then, b’ezras Hashem, we may merit the building of the binyan adei ad, turning eivel into yomtov, speedily in our days.
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Rabbi Yitzchok Sandler SEDRA SUMMARY Thank you to Chabad.org
O
n the first of Shevat (thirtyseven days before his passing), Moshe begins
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Parshah
Parshas Devarim is always the parsha immediately preceding Tisha B’Av, our national day of mourning. It is undoubtedly the toughest day in the Jewish calendar. It is a fast that is as long as Yom Kippur, but with the extra challenge of additional mourning restrictions that make it a morose and potentially depressing time. How are we to understand the message of this day? How do we prepare for it, and make it something meaningful? I heard the following powerful idea in the name of Rav Shimshon Pincus zt’’l. He said that when one attends a simcha, it’s not easy to distinguish between the close family members and the guests. Everyone is dressed in their best, and all are dancing together – the food is plentiful, the drinks are flowing, and it is practically impossible to sort out the ones most close, as opposed to those more peripheral, to the joy of the day!
his repetition of the Torah to the assembled children of Israel, reviewing the events that occurred and the laws that were given in the course of their forty-year journey from Egypt to Sinai to the Promised Land, rebuking the people for their
However, at a funeral it is immediately clear and evident who the essential mourners are. Many respectful participants will sit and listen to eulogies, but with dry eyes, while others are sobbing, and at times uncontrollably so. We can be sure that these are the close ones.
failings and iniquities, and enjoining them to keep the Torah and observe its commandments in the land that Hashem is giving them as an eternal heritage, into which they shall cross after his death.
The point is that on the Tisha B’Av, a Jew has a chance to move closer to the heart of his people. Not just to sympathise, which is nice, but more – to empathize, showing that he feels it too. I find it fascinating to appreciate that it is the ones who share in the sadder events, who identify more with the heart of a family – but they are the ones who will really appreciate the happier events when those times come around. Tisha B’Av, just like Pesach or Rosh Hashana, each in its own way, is a critical day for each of us to identify with an aspect of our Jewishness. But it could well be, with the observation of Rav Pincus, that Tisha B’Av is in some ways the most important day in our calendar, for it provides us with the opportunity to connect with the very soul of our people!
Moshe recalls his appointment of judges and magistrates to ease his burden of meting out justice to the people and teaching them the word of Hashem; the journey from Sinai through the great and fearsome desert; the sending of the spies and the people’s subsequent spurning of the Promised Land, so that Hashem decreed that the entire generation of the Exodus would die out in the desert. “Also against me,” says Moshe,
But what exactly are we mourning about on Tisha B’Av? Is it that we have suffered so much in exile? That’s part of it – but is that the real pain? When we see the mourners at a funeral, are they wailing about their own discomfort? Or is it rather the pain of the departed and the enormity of the loss?
“was Hashem angry for your sake, saying: You, too, shall not go in there.” Moshe also recounts some more recent events: the refusal of the nations of Moav and Ammon to
It is undoubtedly true that the main focus of the day is the destruction of the Temples, for in Jewish thought it is the lack of the Beis HaMikdash that has led, over the generations, to so much tragedy in the world and so much difficulty for the Jewish people living in exile. But it is more than that – the mourning is specifically about the state of our world, a world that without the Jewish Temple, and without the ability for the Jewish people to achieve their ultimate mission, will always struggle to find its raison d’etre. Not for nothing have the Jews been called a Light to the Nations of the World – in the words of Paul Johnson: ‘Without the Jews, the world would be a much emptier place.’ And if a world without
allow the Israelites to pass through their countries; the wars against the Emorite kings Sichon and Og, and the settlement of their lands by the tribes of Reuben and Gad and part of the tribe of Menashe; and Moshe’s message to his successor, Yehoshua, who will take the people into the Land and lead them in the battles for its conquest: “Fear them not, for Hashem your G-d, He shall fight for you.”
the Jews is unthinkable, then a world without the Jewish Temple, giving the Jewish people the power to achieve their mission, ought to be equally unthinkable. Except for the fact that we are living that very unthinkable condition on a daily basis…….and seemingly quite oblivious to how unthinkable it really is…….! Fasting and mourning on this day is to remember that we as a people should not be too comfortable in our exile – we may drive nice cars and live in nice houses, but we dare not forget that this is not what life is really meant to be about. Without this period of the three weeks culminating in the nine days and Tisha B’Av, we would lose the very essence of our nationhood! Of course, many people will say that we can’t know what life is meant to be about – we’ve never seen the Temple, so we don’t know what we’re missing, and we don’t have a way to connect! But there is a simple way – in the haftorah that we read this week, the prophet Isaiah makes it very clear why the Temple was destroyed. Speaking in the name of Hashem, he says: ‘Why do I need your numerous sacrifices? I am satiated with your offerings of fattened animals and I have no desire for the blood of bulls, and sheep, and goats……..your festivals, My soul despises them, they have become a burden upon me…….and when you spread your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you…….for your hands are full of blood………learn to do good, strengthen the victim, seek justice for the orphan, take up the cause of the widow……’ Isaiah is telling us that with all the commitment to Torah and service of G-d, if we forget the basic fundamental of caring for our fellow man, then it’s all a waste of time. And in many ways, we are still living out this problem – we focus on the best kashrus and the best tefillin that money can buy, but too often ignore the pain of another Jew. If all we do on Tisha B’Av is contemplate the state of the world, where it is in its depravity, and where it could be in its glory, if only we could pull the world up and care about the people around us – that would be something valuable. Hashem did not give us a Torah to philosophise over and to pontificate about – Torah is rather our opportunity to make the world a better place. And we can start with the person right in front of us!
Rabbi Sandler can be contacted at: rabbiyitz613@gmail.com
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Why does Moshe start rebuking them in a hidden way and then goes on to rebuking them openly after this (e.g. with the sending of the meraglim – 1:22) ?
Rabbi Dovid Roberts
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Rav, Kehillas Netzach Yisroel; Director of Education, Federation
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Parshah
Splendid Isolation or Loneliness – ‘In’-sight The Shabbos before Tisha Be’av is one of the few
The implication is clear – loneliness is a perjorative. In 1867, Mark Twain visited Israel. He describes this in his book Innocents Abroad.
שבתותthat has assumed a designated name – שבת חזוןthe Shabbos of Vision.
“Jerusalem is mournful, dreary, and lifeless. I would not desire to live here. It is a hopeless, dreary, heartbroken land. Palestine sits in sackcloth and ashes. Over it broods the spell of a curse that has withered its fields and fettered its energies. Palestine is desolate and unlovely. And why should it be otherwise? Can the curse of the Deity beautify a land? Palestine is no more of this work-day world. It is sacred to poetry and tradition– it is dream-land..”
ר’ צדוק הכהןidentifies the 3 הפטרותof ( פורענותאevil tidings) which we read in the Three Weeks before 9 Av, as corresponding to the faculties of Sight, Hearing and Speech. This insight is based on the opening words of these הפטרות, שמעו, – חזון & דבריthese, in turn, correspond to the three higher ספירותof כתר,חכמה & בינה. These lofty, esoteric ideas are beyond our comprehension, yet, there is a level at which we can gain some understanding. There is a deep connection between sight and insight – 1בינה & חזון. The 2גמרא identifies the change in order of פסוקיםin איכהthat puts the letter פbefore the letter ע, as reminiscent of the distorted outlook that precipitated the tragedy of the מרגלים, which, in turn, made חורבןinevitable.
“There was hardly a tree or a shrub anywhere. Even the olive and the cactus, those fast friends of a worthless soil, had almost deserted the country”. “A desolation is here that not even imagination can grace with the pomp of life and action. We reached Tabor safely. We never saw a human being on the whole route”.
רבא אמר רבי יוחנן אמר בשביל מה הקדים פ”א לעי”ן .בשביל מרגלים שאמרו בפיהם מה שלא ראו בעיניהם
“We traversed some miles of desolate country whose soil is rich enough but is given over wholly to weeds, a silent, mournful expanse. A desolation is here that not even imagination can grace with the pomp of life and action. We never saw a human being on the whole route. We pressed on toward the goal of our crusade, renowned Jerusalem. No landscape exists that is more tiresome to the eye than that which bounds the approaches to Jerusalem”
The מרגליםcrafted a narrative based on their choice of perspective, seeing everything coloured through their lens of cynicism and despair, even projecting that on to others - ונהי בעינינו כחגבים וכן היינו בעיניהם- and we looked like grasshoppers to ourselves, and so we must have looked to them”. It is well-established that sight is not merely a physical process, rather a cognitive faculty, influenced heavily by perceptual set, culture, expectation and emotion, all playing a part in swaying the interpretation.
And yet – we find the selfsame words used as a tribute, both by בלעםin his stunning prophetic vision – הן עם לבדד ישכן- we dwell apart and alone – our singular mission necessitating distance. In the words of the רמב"ן, כן ישכון לעולמים בטח בדד,כי כאשר אני רואה אותו עתה שוכן לבדו והוא יהיה לראש לעולם ואין אומה שתתגבר עליו,עין יעקב
The 3 מלבי"םexplains the difference between ראיהand חזוןas follows;
וחזה מורה על צפיית הרוח,שראיה הוא ראות העין החושי – והנפשin simple English, the difference between sight and insight! This subjectivity is particularly poignant when we ponder the opening phrase of מגילת איכה “ “איכה ישבה בדדHow has it come to pass that the holy city that was – משוש כל הארץthe joy, the jewel of all the earth, is now desolate and unloved. It sits forlorn and alone. Its fortune shifted so dramatically from a dynamic, vibrant city teeming with life and learning, to a ghost town, rivers of blood, coursing through its streets-asveins, isolated and abandoned.
Here, the Ramban provides a link to another instance of this word being used in a positive sense – both in Shiras Haazinu – – ה' בדד ינחנוHashem alone guides us – and in Moshe Rabbenu’s final ברכהto us – וישכון ישראל בטח בדד- we dwell in confident isolation! We are governed by a unique, intimate relationship with Hashem – the proximity itself becomes a liability when it is violated. But, at its root, it is a positive, special thing. The 4 שפת אמתsees the word בדדas a hint to the phrase – בכל דרכיך דעהוmake an effort to perceive the guiding hand of Hashem even from within tragedy (the תפארת שלמהexplains the פסוקin this weeks sedra 'ה
אלוקינו דיבר אלינו בחורב לאמרas a hint to Hashem speaking to us even through )חורבן. The famous episode of R Akiva5 laughing at the sight of foxes frolicking in the makom hamikdash, whilst his colleagues cried, highlight this capacity that he had for seeing beyond the here and now. ‘V’chol yekar ra’asa eino’ – that which was not revealed to Moshe Rabeinu was revealed to R’ Akiva6. R’ Akiva representing the depth of תורה שבעל פה, with the capacity of insight, was able to interpret the tragic events as part of a pathway leading to גאולה. The 7 צל”חoffers an amazing insight in the Chazal that in the future we will make the ברכהof הטוב והמטיב, whereas in this world we are forced to make the ברכהof דיין האמת. He says that in essence, we will revisit those selfsame painful events, and with the benefit of spiritual 20/20 hindsight we will be able to make a new ברכהof הטוב והמטיב, recognising the good that they really were! The 8 חת”ם סופרadds a beautiful level of understanding to the נבואהof 9 כי עין בעין יראה בשוב ה’ את ציון- the curious expression is telling us that there is an ‘eye within an eye’ – literally עין בעין- the צפיית הרוח והנפשof the Malbim quoted earlier. R’ Tzodok is thus teaching us that with בינה, with true ‘in-sight’ one can access another world, one can survive loss and pain. That is the challenge of fostering and cultivating a world of חזון. A world in which we alone, but never lonely – we recognise בדדas a necessary quality to stand apart, and live up to our mission, disseminating light and Torah, and Kedusha, as befits His people. 1 עיין לקו”ט שמות ט”ז כ”ט – ראיה זו בינה 2 :סנהדרין ק”ד 3 שמות י”ח – כ”א 4 פרשת דברים תר”ס 5 מכות כ”ד 6 מנחות כ”ט 7 :’פסחים נ 8 תורת משה החדש בראשית על הפסוק ותפקחנה עיני שניהם )(בשם רבו בעל ההפלאה 9 ’ח- ישעי’ נ”ב
Rabbi Rodberts can be contacted at: rabbi.roberts@federation.org.uk
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Rashi (1:11) brings that Moshe was saying over two blessings. One from Hashem and one from Moshe to multiply a thousand times. Surely Hashem’s blessing is all inclusive and if so how could Moshe add anything? Why bless them specifically with the number of a thousand times more?
Rabbi Rafi Hirsh
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Parshah
The Jerusalem Kollel
Our Fourth Dimension Donald Trump, during his inaugural address, charged the people of his nation: “Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country!” That didn’t happen.But that did happen 56 years ago by U.S. president John F. Kennedy. Why is it so inconceivable that a president today would promote and emphasize the civilians’ responsibility to his country? Why would any person running for civil office lose his/her constituents immediately upon making such a statement, while 56 years ago it was attractive? What have we lost? In the beginning of this week’s parshah, Moshe Rabbeinu began a speech which composes nearly the rest of the Torah. He started by rebuking us not only for the sin of our sending spies to Eretz Yisrael, but according to Rashi1, even for all of our complaining since we left Egypt. The coming parshiyos as well are riddled with more rebuke for our sins from traveling throughout the desert.Who was Moshe Rabbeinu talking to? He was talking to the generation which would finally enter Eretz Yisrael. All the men present were at least under the age of 20 at the time these rebellious acts occurred. All the men held accountable for any misconduct as of the sin of the spies and earlier have already perished. Moshe was talking to a generation who was too immature to be held accountable for the very sins he was rebuking them for!
day presence of our families, our nation and our world. Each of us are part the same family that always existed56, the same nation of “B’nei Yisrael”7 and the very same humanity that Hashem made on day six8. Pesach is the holiday in which we commemorate our indebtedness to Hashem for taking us out of Egypt, the event which formed us as a nation. It is no wonder why the Pesach Seder is one of the last vestiges of Jewish tradition still commemorated by many of nonreligious Jewry. It is the time which we recognize that “lo es avosainu bilvad”9, not only did Hashem take our forefathers out of Egypt, but he took us out as well. Specifically during Pesach there is an obligation to imagine as if we were brought out of Egypt. It is the holiday of Jewish Identity, where we realise that we are a continuation of the same Jewish Nation which has existed since time immemorial. The Chovos Halevavos10 explains that every person has the moral obligation to reciprocate his dedication to Hashem in proportion to the kindness Hashem did to him. That is why Jews take part in serving Hashem more than a non-Jew. Similarly, anyone whose ancestors were given a unique kindness is obligated to reciprocate in Hashem’s service more than his fellow Jew. That’s because the unique kindness was done to him, albeit in a different plane in the dimension of time.
We find other examples of similar paradoxes. When the Jewish People stood at Har Sinai, every individual accepted to keep the Torah. The gemara tells us that every Jew is mushba v’omed2, already “sworn in” to keep Hashem’s commandments, with all legal binding of a full-fledged oath. Why is that? Should the oath of my predecessors some 3500 years ago have any binding on us today?!
Not only do we carry the obligations accepted by our history, we also carry its merits. Every day we stand before Hashem and evoke the merits of our forefathers. We’re not asking Hashem to withdraw from their “merit account” for us. They aren’t their merits - they’re our merits; it’s our account! We are their presence in 2017, carrying their same mission of bringing the world to recognize Hashem! Similarly (“zooming forward”) when we undertake an action for a communal cause, all the future effects of that cause are an extension of that same original action, just in a different point in time. The spiritual power behind taking that original action is superpowered by all the future merits of the cause. “Kol hamevakesh tzarchei tzibbur k’ilu ba bizroah” – someone seeking a communal cause it is as if he comes forcefully.11 As soon as we identify with or act for something beyond our individual selves, we enter a realm which transcends
The Ramban3 explains that, yes - it should have a binding on us. Any oath made by a community has the power to affect every individual to be in that community, even though he or she wasn’t alive. We find this explicitly written by the Purim story, “kimu v’kiblu hayehudim aleihem v’al zar’am”4, the Jews of the time accepted an oath upon themselves and their children. We’re used to seeing ourselves as an individual. “Zooming out” would bring to mind our families, then our communities, our nation and then the world. But what we aren’t prone to doing is “zooming back” - we are the continuation of our history. We are the modern-
the binds of time.Moshe’s rebuke in this week’s parshah wasn’t a rebuke to the individuals who were present at the time, rather it was a rebuke to the Jewish People - the current “edition” of the very same nation who committed the sins 40 years earlier. We should reflect from this week’s parshah on this most profound concept. Hashem took us from Egypt, he was bachar banu mikol ha’amim, he chose us as His nation. He gave us his Torah. We allowed the golden calf to occur and we are held accountable. We were persecuted by the Persians, the Babylonians, the Greeks12, the inquisition and the Nazis, and the destiny of every generation of our history is now returning to their homeland; they are coming home! And whether it be in our days as individuals or not, we will experience what Dovid Hamelech experienced before any beis hamikdash was built: “I rejoiced as they were telling me “Let’s go to the house of G-d”. Our feet were standing at your gates, O Jerusalem!”13 1 2 3 4 5
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Devarim 1:1 Yuma 73b, Nedarim 8a, … In Mishpat Ha’Cherem Esther 9:27 In Brachos 7a the gemara explains that a child is punished for the sins of his parents if he continues in his parents’ sinful ways, but if he doesn’t then he isn’t punished. Perhaps that’s because if the child discontinues the sinful ways it is as if the family unit has repented, otherwise he is punished as an individual as well for being a present-day extension of his sinful family unit Imagine Shlomo was suffering in Egypt during the Egyptian exile. He had son A and son B. A had one child and B had 9. Upon inheriting eretz Yisrael, the Torah considered it as if Shlomo inherited 10 portions of land retroactively through his grandchildren, and the portions were redistributed by regular means- A and B each received 5 portions, then A’s one child received 5 and B’s 9 children divided the other 5.7 Temura 15b – this concept of אין צבור מתcaused klal Yisrael to bring a korban for a sin those individuals didn’t do Sifsei Chachamim on Rashi in Bamidbar 5:18 explains that Jewish women have the custom to cover their hair as an expression of shame for the sin of Chavah. Midrash Tanchuma Metzorah:17 says that women light Shabbos candles and make challah to rectify the sin of Chavah Pesach Haggadah 3:6 Bamidbar Rabbah 21:14 The song of Maoz Tzur focuses on our personal experience of all the Jewish exiles. This concept is most concisely expressed in the words “Yevanim nikbetzu alai, azai bimay Chashmanim”. The song is sung as an extension of am yisrael, not as a yachid. Tehillim 122
Rabbi Hirsh can be contacted at: hashem.is.1@gmail.com
An old man told his grandson, “My son, there is a battle between two wolves inside us all.” “One is Evil. It is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, inferiority, lies and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy and truth.” The boy thought about it and asked, “Grandfather, which wolf wins?” The old man quietly replied, “The one you feed.”
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You might notice something strange when hearing the reading of the Torah on Shabbos. The reader (in some communities) instead of stopping by the place written in the Chumash as Sheini, stops one pasuk before it. Why?
Rabbi Dovid Sapirman Dean, Ani Maamin Foundation
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Hashkafah
NEVER A DOUBT The Sefer Hachinuch teaches us that there are six mitzvos anyone can fulfill at any moment. He proves this from the pasuk “Six cities of refuge they shall be for you.”
supervision, based on the fact that He took us out of Egypt. It is noteworthy that the Aseres Hadibros do not declare, “I am Hashem Who created the world.” After all, we weren’t there at the time of Creation, so that would not be convincing. However, our forefathers did experience undeniable miracles at the time of yetzias Mitzrayim: the makkos, krias Yam Suf, the mann. In essence, they were told, “You know yourself that this is all true. You experienced it in a way that cannot be denied.”
The siman is meaningful. A person’s task in this world is to connect with his Creator. When we fulfill a mitzvah, we do connect, but when we are between mitzvos, if we don’t think about Hashem, we only sense the physical world around us. This tends to pull us away from the Ribbono shel Olam. The six constant mitzvos are like arei miklat, where we can escape the pull of materialism by connecting to the Creator in any given moment in our hearts.
One of the main themes of the Chumash is that the Jewish people did not need to be convinced of the truth of Hashem or His Torah. They knew it from firsthand experience, in contrast to other belief systems, lehavdil, where the original listeners needed to be coaxed or coerced into acceptance.
The first of the six is the mitzvah of emunah, as expressed in the first of the Ten Commandments: “I am Hashem, your G-d, Who took you out of the land of Egypt.” This obligates us to know and affirm that the world is under Hashem’s direct
Rabbi Yissocher Frand Rosh Yeshiva, Ner Yisrael Baltimore
Throughout Tanach, the neviim rebuke the people for almost every type of sin—idolatry, immorality, false oaths, cheating, corruption of the court system, and more. There is one glaring omission: the sin of disbelief is never mentioned in the Torah. No one was ever accused of denying yetzias Mitzrayim or Matan Torah, for the simple reason that no one ever denied it. The entire people knew that this was our national history. The first time that a significant number of Jews expressed such scepticism was the advent of Reform Judaism, at the end of the 1700s. The maskilim essentially denied the basis of our emunah because it was too restrictive for them. In the coming weeks, we will focus on these six constant mitzvos.
Rabbi Sapirman can be contacted at: info@animaamin.org
Parshah
Don’t Flaunt It “You have enough, circle the mountain, and turn to the north (tzafonah).” (Devarim 2:3) The Kli Yakar lived during a time when the Jews enjoyed prosperity, and he did not approve of the way they dealt with it. He urged them to be more discreet, to keep a low profile and not draw attention to themselves with ostentatious lifestyles. He supported his exhortation with a homiletic interpretation of Moshe’s words to the Jewish people. The word tzafonah can also be translated as “the hidden.” In other words, you have enough material things. Now hide them! If you’ve got it, you don’t have to flaunt it!
Eisav has a long memory, writes the Kli Yakar. Whenever he sees Yaakov prosper, he believes with all his heart that it is only because of the blessings that he believes Yaakov stole, the blessings that should have gone to Eisav.
tisra’u?” he said. “Why should you show off?” According to Rashi, Yaakov was concerned about the children of Eisav and Yishmael. Why should they see that you have plenty of food while they are starving? That would be a foolish thing to do.
Yaakov himself was already worried about this. When famine struck all of the Middle East, everyone was forced to run to Egypt, the only place where large stockpiles of food existed. It was the only way to avoid starvation.
If we have been blessed with prosperity — money, property, nice homes, cars and clothing — there is no need to flaunt our wealth.
Yaakov’s pantry, however, was well stocked with food, and his family could have gone a long time without a trip to Egypt. Nonetheless, Yaakov sent them to buy food. “Lamah
“Why do you show off?” said Yaakov Avinu. It is impolite. It is unwise. It is even dangerous.
In memory of
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Which pasuk is said in a sad tune (in some communities) in the parsha and why?
Rabbi Zev Leff
6
Shabbos Chazon
Rav of Moshav Matityahu
Shabbos Chazon - G-d’s Answer to a Perplexing Question Who is the wise man that may understand this and who is he to whom the mouth of Hashem has spoken that he may declare it? Why has the land perished, burnt up like a wilderness that none pass through? And Hashem said, “Because they have forsaken my Torah, which I set before them, and have not obeyed My Voice, nor walked therein.” [Yirmiyahu 9:11-12] The question of why the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed and the Land left desolate was posed to the Sages and the prophets (Nedarim 81a). None could explain until HaKadosh Baruch Hu Himself revealed that it was a result of having forsaken the Torah. The Gemara continues that the failure to listen to G-d’s voice and walk in the Torah’s ways refers to their failure to recite birkas haTorah. Rabbeinu Yonah asks how this seemingly obvious fact — that the Torah was forsaken — could have eluded the Sages and prophets? To his question we can add others. The Gemara in Yoma says that the first Beis Hamikdash was destroyed because of immorality, murder and idolatry. Why, then, did Yirmiyahu mention only the failure to make a blessing over Torah study. Moreover, where did the Sages see in the verse itself that it refers to the failure to make a blessing rather than total abandonment of the Torah? Rabbeinu Yonah answers that in fact the generation learned Torah constantly and fulfilled the mitzvos. That is why the Sages did not recognise that they have forsaken the Torah. But if so, how did they fall to such a level that they committed the three cardinal sins? Why didn’t their Torah learning protect them? To this Hashem replied: their Torah learning was lacking, as seen from their neglect of the blessing over their learning. Let us try to understand what dimension the blessing adds to Torah learning and how this deficiency is hinted to in the verse itself. Yeshayahu (Yeshayahu 28:10) castigated the Jewish people for serving Hashem, “Command by command, line by line, a little here, and a little there.” His rebuke was based on their failure to integrate the observance of all the mitzvos into a unified service of Hashem. Just as Hashem is One, so, too, is His will one. He has one all-encompassing request of man. As the verse says, “What does Hashem your G-d ask of you other than that you fear Him?” (Devarim 10:12). What Hashem demands from us is a constant awareness of His presence and of our obligation to emulate Him and act according to His will. All the 613 mitzvos are in fact expressions of emunah in Hashem (see Maharsha to Makkos 23b). Since we are human beings in a physical world, we cannot relate to Hashem’s will without it being broken
down into segments that we can deal with individually. Imagine a globe of the world encased in a larger globe. In the outer globe, 613 small windows are cut, each window exposing a small portion of the surface of the enclosed globe. A composite picture from all the windows would yield a view of the globe within in. So, too, the individual mitzvos are merely partial manifestations of Hashem’s one, all-inclusive will. Each mitzvah is a window through which we glimpse a portion of that will. Thus there is more to leading a Torah life than merely observing 613 rules. The ultimate goal is to understand the implications of each mitzvah in the context of the overall Divine will that must shape our personality, outlook, and actions. In addition to shemiyah lekol Hashem — listening to G-d’s voice and obeying His commands — one must also have shemiyah bekol Hashem — listening into G-d’s voice, an understanding of the implications and meaning of those mitzvos in their broader context. Observance of the Torah “tzav letzav, kav lekav,” i.e., rule by rule, without sensitivity to the aspects of Divine will revealed in each mitzvah, is inadequate. Yaakov told Esav, “I lived with Lavan and kept all 613 mitzvos and did not learn from his evil deeds.” Keeping the 613 mitzvos and not learning from Lavan’s evil ways are two separate things. Only if one seeks G-d’s will within the mitzvos, can he create a Torah hashkafah, a character and lifestyle that precludes being influenced by Lavan’s evil ways. That was the deficiency of the generation of the Churban. They kept the mitzvos and learned Torah, but did so perfunctorily.” ...Within their mouths and lips do they honour Me, but their hearts are far from Me, and their fear of Me is as a commandment of men learned by rote” (Yeshayahu 29:13). Reb Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz zt’’l was once invited to be the guest of a certain individual for the Friday night seudah. Arriving home with his host, it was immediately obvious that the hostess had fallen asleep from an exhausting erev Shabbos and had failed to awaken on time to put the finishing touches to the table. Her embarrassed husband berated her for her failure to cover the challos. Reb Shraga Feivel thought to himself how absurd it was for the man to humiliate his wife for not
having covered the challos — a minhag designed to keep the challos from being “embarrassed” during Kiddush and to teach us how sensitive we must be to another ‘s honour. The host, in his concern for the minhag, had completely ignored its implications. Hashem’s answer to Yirmiyahu revealed how people who studied and observed Torah could fall to the depths of immorality, murder and idolatry. “They forsook My Torah” — not the Torah, but My Torah. They failed to hear G-d’s will expressed in the Torah; — they failed to hear into My voice. And therefore they failed to walk in the ways of the Torah — they failed to make the Torah an all-encompassing guide. All of this is symbolized by the failure to make a berachah prior to learning. The berachah begins, “ashira kidishaynu b’mitzvosi”— the purpose of the mitzvos is to sanctify us and to inspire us to holiness. The second beracha emphasizes that the purpose of Torah is to make us — those who know and emulate G-d’s character traits in order to develop a complete Torah personality. And the third brachah emphasises, — that G-d has chosen us from the nations of the world and given us the responsibility to become a nation of Kohanim and a holy people. The brachah enjoins us not to merely hear the words, but to consider their implications. For this reason we refer to an observant Jew as a shomer Torah u’mitzvos. At first glance, the reference to both Torah and mitzvos seems redundant. The intention is to emphasize that in addition to mitzvos, this person observes the Torah, the complete expression of G-d’s will. The purpose of Eretz Yisrael is to provide the most conducive, holy environment in which to observe the mitzvos so that we can create a total Torah life for the Jewish people as a whole. But when the Jewish people observe mitzvos perfunctorily, without the intention to live a complete Torah life, then the need for the land is negated, and its physical destruction follows. That is the lesson Hashem revealed to Yirmiyahu.
Rabbi Leff can be contacted at: zevleff@gmail.com
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5. There were four levels of judges: people over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Why these numbers and what was the difference between their roles? I understand going down as 1000 to 100 to 10, but why does 50 also come in?
Rabbi Sholom Zagelbaum
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Haftorah
The Jerusalem Kolel
THIS WEEK’S HAFTORAH: YESHAYAH CH. 1 V. 1-27. Our Haftorah begins “Chazon Yeshayahu”- the vision of Yeshayahu. We are used to the more common expression of prophecy “Nevuah”, Why specifically here is vision mentioned? Rashi (s.v. asher chaza) brings Chazal who say that of all the words used for prophecy, Chazon, vision, is the harshest. What is so harsh about Chazon, more so than Nevuah? Another interesting idea about vision can be seen from Megillas Eicha, in which chapters one, two, and four are in the order of the Alef Beis (every three pesukim start with the same letter of the aleph beis; Pasuk one starts with an alef, pasuk two with a beis, etc.), and chapter three has the alef beis three times (pasuk one, two, and three begin with an alef, etc.). There is, however, one difference in the order of the letters, namely that our order goes samach, ayin, peh, in Eicha it goes samach, peh, ayin, putting peh before ayin. Why did Yirmiyah change the order when dictating Eicha? The Gemara in Sanhedrin 104b explains that this was to hint to us the sin of the spies, with whom the ninth of Av became a tragic day, and to teach us that the source of their sin was that they put their peh (mouth) before their ayin (eye). What does this mean? In what way did they put their mouth before their eyes?
sefasayim”,He who creates the movement [caused by speaking] of the lips). So prophets switched from being seers to speakers. What is the significance of this switch?
To answer these questions, let us delve a little deeper into the difference between speaking and seeing, or better, between a speaker and a seer. In Shmuel Alef 9:9, the Passuk says “Let us go to the seer, for the one who is called a Navi today, was (in those times) called a seer.” We see from here that the ancient prophets, surprisingly enough, for hundreds of years were called seers (ro’im) and that the name Navi which we are familiar with only came later. What does the word Navi mean? It comes from the word Niv which is an form of speech (as in ”Boreh niv
Many prophets exhorted the Jewish people to be bigger and better, and they all gave us
Perhaps we can suggest that while speaking is giving over a specific message, seers show us a vision, the whole picture. For while spoken words can only be said and heard one at a time, a picture can be seen in one moment, and seeing that picture imprints the image on the mind in all of its glory. While speech can convey the trees, a vision can show the forest. The spies had the option of looking at the big picture of Eretz Yisrael, its spiritual qualities and its breathtaking beauty. Instead they said, they got the message, that the land killed its inhabitants, not realizing that in the big picture it was Hashem protecting them from being attacked during their journey.
an important message. Yeshayah Hanavi, however, gave us a vision. He saw the big picture with all the details of where we were holding, and was able to show us that vision to give us the awareness of who we are. While further back they were all called seers, for a long time they only got messages, until Yeshayah in our Haftorah. This is what is so harsh about Chazon. When we are broken out of our complacency and faced with the brutal realization of exactly who we are and where we are holding, that may be the harshest rebuke ever. This approach of Yeshayah of being a visionary does not need to be used only to view our sins and problems. When we take a candid look at ourselves and see our greatness, our goodness and positive qualities, while not being blind to our faults we are well on our way to clearly seeing where we are, where we are heading, and what it takes for us to get there.
HAFTORAH RIDDLE
The first passuk in the Haftorah says that Yeshayah had Nevuah in the days of Uziyahu etc. Was Yeshayah related to this Uziyahu (the king at the time) and if yes then how? Hint: See Maseches Megillah 10b. Answers can be sent to Rabbi Zagelbaum at: doreshtov25@gmail.com
ANSWER TO LAST WEEK’S RIDDLE
In passuk 6 it says “and that Adam did not settle there”. Chazal say that this is referring to Adam Harishon who decreed which areas should be inhabited (as quoted in Radak there).
ANSWERS 1. The Bartenura explains that since it is the beginning of the sefer therefore did not want to rebuke openly. However, after this initial cloaked rebuke, then came the open telling off. Perhaps another answer is that we see from here the pathway of rebuke. First you start in a soft veiled way and then when see that this is being accepted go on to a more open clearer rebuke. 2. The blessing of Hashem has a condition attached. The Jews must keep the Torah in order to merit the blessing. However, Moshe’s blessing was without preconditions. (Maskil Lidovid) 3. Where Sheini starts is with the pasuk that begins with the word “Eicha” and is about a complaint. Therefore in order to not start from something bad there is a stop of Sheini made one pasuk before it. 4. The pasuk of (1:12). It uses the word “Eicha” and discusses Moshe’s frustrations at the people constantly arguing and bickering. It is said in the
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same tune used for Megillas Eicha. Parshas Devarim is always the week before we read Megillas Eicha. 5. The Vilna Gaon (Aderes Eliyahu) brings that those appointed over one thousand were directors of battles; those over hundreds were the real judges of court cases; those over fifty were those who taught Torah to the masses (known as “the Zekeinim”) and those over ten were the policemen, shotrim. 6. Each nation has its own characteristics that are reflected in their language. Therefore knowing their language would tell them a lot about the people. (Gur Aryeh) The Jews had been commanded to kill the seven nations of Eretz Yisrael. However, these people could trick them and dress up as other nations. How then would they know whom to kill? They would know this by knowing what language they spoke. (Sifsei Chachamim)
6. Rashi (1:22) brings that the people asked the spies to come and tell them which language the inhabitants of Eretz Yisrael spoke. Why did they want to know this as what difference did it make to them?
Rabbi Yonasan Roodyn
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Shabbos Parshah Chazon
Klal Chazon; Oneg Shabbos Editor in Chief; Federation ShailaText
This Shabbos takes its name from the opening line of the Haftorah, which is usually read by the Rov of the shul to the haunting Eicha tune. Chazon Yeshayahu Ben Amotz asher Chozoh – The vision of Yeshayohu the son of Amotz which he foresaw concerning Yehudoh and Yerusholayim. What is the difference between lachazos and liros? Rav
Shimshon
Refoel
Hirsch
zt’’l
introduces us to Sefer Yeshayo by explaining that this prophecy took place some 150 years before the churban. The eyes of Yeshayohu Hanovi’s contemporaries were completely closed to the state of the decay. The eye that could only see the external saw a perfect picture, Yerusholayaim is full of Yieden, its marketplaces full of abundant food, a Beis Hamikdosh, Kohanim, Leviim, korbanos, a fire on the mizbeach, ten open miracles on a daily basis. To the eye fixed on the externals, nothing was missing and everything seemed fine and dandy.
Chazon is Hashem opening Yeshayohu’s eyes to the condition of Klal Yisroel. To the mind’s eye, the eye that rests in the chazeh (chest or heart), the disconnect between the people and the mission was palpable. The Gemoro (Brochos 10a) tells us that the neshomo, like Hakodosh Boruch Hu, cannot be seen, but has the ability to see. One who is able to ‘see’ with his soul, perceives the world for what it really is, rather than the obscured illusion of the alma deshikra. Chazon means to behold something in its fullest sense rather than just to view an object or a situation with a pair of eyes. Yeshayohu Hanovi, with his Divinely inspired ability to see through nevuoh, perceives that the Jewish people are on a collision course. This catastrophe will take
place in well over a hundred years’ time, but he has to act now if anything is going to change. A stitch in time could have saved the Beis Hamikdosh and altered the course of Jewish history and destiny forever. In other words Chazon is the ability to see things for what they are rather than what they appear to be. Chazon is the long term vision, one that doesn’t just see that which is immediately in front of our faces. Through keeping an eye on the future, through investing in our children’s chinuch, through teaching emunah that will keep them strong, proud and committed we will be able to expose them לחזות ’בנועם ה, to behold the sweetness of Hashem.
Rabbi Roodyn can be contacted at: rabbiroodyn@chazon.org.uk בס"ד
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